Mayak will reprocess fuel of Bulgarian NPP

06.07.2011 // Information Service of Mayak PO FSUE

A train with spent nuclear fuel arrived in the radiochemical plant of Mayak Production Association from Kozloduy nuclear power plant of Bulgaria.

In 2007, the intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Bulgaria for supply and reprocessing of fuel from Kozloduy NPP was prolonged up to 2020. In due course, Bulgaria had had to fulfill the political demand of the European Union to close the nuclear power plant equipped with Russian reactors. Today, two reactors out of four ones are shut down at Kozloduy NPP. But, being a member of the European Union, Bulgaria made its choice in favor of Russian nuclear technologies.

Nuclear power has no alternatives for Bulgaria, as the country does not have its own essential power resources which could satisfy the growing demand for power. Simultaneously, the nuclear power will make Bulgaria more independent in terms of power, despite the fact that the nuclear fuel is delivered from abroad – from Russia.

The radiochemical plant has worked with the atom for peace since 1987. It reprocesses spent nuclear fuel of the power and transport units and research reactors. The range of reprocessed fuel is rather wide. The ready-to-use products are sent to TVEL where fresh fuel is produced for the nuclear power industry.

Foreign contracts of Mayak Production Association promote development of the own scientific and industrial basis and township-forming enterprise capacity utilization A part of money earned from reprocessing of fuel from Kozloduy NPP will be transferred to the budget of Chelyabinsk region in order to continue implementation of special ecological programs in the region.